Raising the standard: Fascinating flags and the stories behind them

By Barry Neild, for CNN

Updated 10:32 PM ET, Wed January 15, 2014

World's best national flags11 photos

Canada – Canadians debated furiously before adopting the red maple leaf in 1965, an ensign pointedly free of colonial images. It has become one of the most recognizable flags in the world, due to its bright coloring, simple shapes and the fact Canadians love to slap them on everything from clothing to suitcases when traveling.

Hide Caption

1 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

Nepal – Its double triangles symbolize the peaks of the Himalayas. The sun and moon represent calm and resolve -- traits needed to tolerate the Everest-sized egos of those flag-planting foreign mountaineers.

Bhutan – The beast on Bhutan's flag is Druk, a thunder dragon of Bhutanese Buddhist mythology. The dragon is said to symbolize the origins of religious teachings on which Bhutan was founded.

Hide Caption

4 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

United States – The modern incarnation of Betsy Ross's purported creation is an oft-imitated design of which Americans are rightly proud. So proud in fact, it's one of the only flags to have a National Anthem ("The Star-spangled Banner") written specifically about it.

Hide Caption

5 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

Brazil – Given Brazil's skills on the pitch, you might think its flag symbolizes a blue soccer ball being booted into space from a grassy stadium. It doesn't. The colors clash, the ball of stars looks messy. But somehow, it works.

Hide Caption

6 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

Indonesia – Shaking off Dutch colonial invaders, Indonesian freedom fighters created their flag by tearing the blue strip off a Dutch tricolor. Another version claims the colors are derived from the 14th century Majapahit Empire.

Hide Caption

7 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

Greenland – Adopted in 1985, Greenland's flag is an exercise in classically minimalist Scandinavian design. From 555 submitted designs, a committee chose a red and white split circle on a contrasting background.

Hide Caption

8 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

Mozambique – Mozambique's flag features a gun! Yes, there's a book, symbolizing education,and a hoe for agriculture, but there's also an AK-47 symbolizing the country's bloody struggle for independence.

Hide Caption

9 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

Panama – Panama's flag is widely displayed on ships using the country's emblem as a flag of convenience. The country also has an alternate version, making it one of the few nations to have more than one national pennant.

Hide Caption

10 of 11

World's best national flags11 photos

United Kingdom – The Union Flag has long lived a double life, serving as national emblem and erstwhile fashion icon. It combines the blue and white saltire of Scotland's patron Saint Andrew, the red cross on white of England's Saint George and red diagonal cross of Ireland's Saint Patrick.

Hide Caption

11 of 11

Story highlights

Colors clash on Brazil's flag, the ball of stars looks messy ... yet somehow it works

Canada's maple leaf flag is one of the most recognizable in the world

Mozambique's flag features a gun, symbolizing the country's struggle for independence

Funny things flags.

Essentially they're just pieces of colored cloth, but run any of them up a pole and they become powerful talismans capable of making people behave in peculiar ways.

The stories behind national pennants can be inspiring, intriguing and often give an insight into the culture and history of the country.

We're all about raising standards and we think some of the tales behind these patriotic pennants are worth saluting.

Granted home rule from Denmark in 1978, Greenlanders decided they needed something new to fly above their frosty territories.

The result, adopted in 1985, is both an exercise in classically minimalist Scandinavian design, and a bold departure from other flags favored by Nordic nations.

Many in Greenland had hoped to emulate Denmark and its neighbors by using a Christian cross -- preferably white on green -- but from 555 submitted designs, a committee instead chose a red and white split circle on a contrasting background.

The symbolism isn't too hard to read: a red sun sinking down into snow and ice.

The UK's Union Flag has long lived a double life, serving both as national emblem and an erstwhile fashion icon -- although its associations with the Swinging Sixties are these days just as likely to bring to mind Austin Powers' underwear.

Flag becomes fashion.

The flag itself is an exercise in nation building, originally combining the blue and white saltire of Scotland's patron Saint Andrew and the red cross on white of England's Saint George when the two countries united in the 18th century.

The red diagonal cross of Ireland's Saint Patrick was added later.

Of course, all this could change again if Scottish people vote for independence in a referendum scheduled for 2014.

In which case, perhaps Wales might finally get a mention.

What to say: "Groovy, baby!"

Flag it up: The Union flags may not be so prominent these days, but London's Carnaby Street is still a swinging center for fashion.